The present invention relates to a waste treatment system for suction canisters which sanitizes used suction canisters for xe2x80x9cwhite bagxe2x80x9d disposal while minimizing exposure of health care personnel to potentially harmful microbes.
Medical suction canisters are used to drain bodily fluids from a patient, especially during various surgical procedures. Typically, the body fluid collected in the suction canisters is disposed directly into a sewage system by hospital personnel. However, the splatter and aerosol often created during the disposal process creates a risk that hospital personnel may be exposed to potentially dangerous infective agents such as for example, HIV, Hepatitis B or tuberculosis. In addition, many of the conventional suction canisters used are disposable, single use canisters. Due to the potentially contagious nature of the fluids collected in the suction canisters, the suction canisters are disposed of in xe2x80x9cred bags.xe2x80x9d Red bag disposal requires disinfective treatment before disposal and is relatively more expensive than xe2x80x9cwhite bagxe2x80x9d disposal (no disinfection required) which leads to increased costs.
Prior art devices and methods have attempted to minimize hospital personnel exposure to potentially contagious agents during the draining of suction canisters. U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,802 discloses a method that involves the introduction of an antimicrobial into the fluid while it is still within the suction canister to reduce the infectious nature of the contained waste thereby minimizing exposure to dangerous microbes. However, to effectively disinfect the suction canister, it is necessary for the antimicrobial to physically contact the microbes and to cover the entire interior wall of the suction canister. Otherwise, it is possible that the potentially hazardous microbes will survive and re-grow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,420 discloses a method that involves the introduction of a solidifier into the suction canister to convert the body fluids into a semi-solid gel to minimize splatter and aerosol. The solidifier typically includes an antiseptic additive. However, the addition of the solidifier further reduces the chances that the antiseptic additive will cover the entire interior wall of the suction canister.
One prior art device involves the cleaning and disinfecting of reusable suction canisters. Suction canisters containing the body fluids are placed in a sealed chamber. Antiseptics are added and water jets are employed to mix the body fluids with the antiseptics. The disinfected contents of the suction canister are drained and the suction canister is ready for reuse. However, the reusable canisters are designed with cumbersome moving parts which may disengage from the canisters and potentially disrupt the cleaning cycle. In addition, the manufacture of the specially designed suction canisters is costly. Further, not only may the aerosol created by the water jets pose a health concern, but also potential risks associated with the reuse of suction canisters may create additional liability issues.
Another method utilizes an automated centralized waste treatment system. A filled suction canister is placed within a sealed chamber and tubing connected to a vacuum source is inserted into the interior of the suction canister. The contents of the suction canister are essentially vacuumed out of the canister to a sewage drain for disposal. The emptied suction canister is then discarded in a red bag. Not only is this prior art system very expensive to purchase, the suction canisters are disposed in a red bag as opposed to in a less costly white bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,412 relates to a device for washing a can that utilizes a support for supporting the can on one of its lateral sides for sliding movement from a pre-punch position to a punch position. A knife is used to pierce the bottom of the can and a spray nozzle is mounted with respect to the knife so as to protrude within the interior of the can whenever the knife pierces the can.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,260 discloses a liquid waste disposal and canister flushing system. The flushing system includes a cabinet with a sink for receiving the canister and a sub-sink for receiving a lowered portion thereof. The sub-sink is connected to a drain line. A plunger subassembly includes a stopper which functions as a drain valve for the canister. An injection jet is connected to water and cleaning solution and discharges diluted cleaning solution into the canister for flushing same. A control system includes a programmable microprocessor which can be programmed to provide drain and flush cycles of predetermined duration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,440 discloses an apparatus for emptying and rinsing containers of chemicals. The apparatus includes a chamber in which the container can be enclosed and supported, draining means and a hollow, perforated wash pipe. The chamber is provided with means for supporting the container in a generally tilted manner such that a comer thereof is presented as the lowest portion and the wash pipe is arranged to pierce the container through said corner.
None of the prior art suggests or discloses a waste treatment system for suction canisters that includes a canister cleaning chamber for holding the suction canister to be treated, a reservoir chamber fluidly connected to the canister cleaning chamber and to a source of water, the reservoir chamber adapted to be raised and lowered relative to the canister cleaning chamber so as to permit cleaning fluids to flow to and from the canister cleaning chamber.
Thus what is needed is a device for disposing of body fluids contained within suction canisters while minimizing the exposure of hospital personnel to potentially harmful microbes. The system and method of the present invention fulfills these needs and treats treat body fluids so that they can be safely discarded in a public sewage system. The present invention will also sanitize disposable suction canisters so that they can be disposed of in less expensive white bags. The device according t the invention also has a fairly simple design so that it has relatively low manufacturing costs.
The present invention provides for the disposal of body fluids contained within suction canisters while minimizing the exposure of hospital personnel to potentially harmful microbes. The present invention further treats the body fluids so that they can be safely discarded in a public sewage system and sanitizes disposable suction canisters so that they can be disposed of in the less expensive xe2x80x9cwhite bagsxe2x80x9d. The present invention provides these advantages at a relatively low manufacturing cost.
The present invention provides a waste treatment system for suction canisters. The waste treatment system includes a connection to a sewage system, a canister-cleaning chamber and a reservoir chamber. The canister-cleaning chamber holds the suction canister to be treated. The reservoir chamber is fluidly connected to the canister-cleaning chamber, to the canister-disinfecting chamber, and to a water source. The reservoir chamber is adapted to be raised and lowered relative to the canister-cleaning chamber to permit the disinfectant and cleaning fluids to flow into and out of the canister cleaning-chamber.
Thus, there is disclosed a waste treatment system for suction canisters comprising a canister-cleaning chamber for holding the suction canister to be treated and a reservoir chamber fluidly connected to the canister cleaning chamber and to a water source. The reservoir chamber is adapted to be raised and lowered relative to the canister-cleaning chamber to permit cleaning fluids to flow into and out of the canister-cleaning chamber.
There is also disclosed a method of treating waste comprising the steps of placing a suction canister into a canister-cleaning chamber through an opening; closing the opening to create a sealed canister-cleaning chamber; channeling water from a water source to the reservoir chamber and opening a drainage on the suction canister thereby permitting the body fluids to drain out of the suction canister into the reservoir chamber.
There is further disclosed a method of treating waste comprising the steps of lowering a reservoir chamber to the canister-cleaning chamber; placing a suction canister containing body fluids within the canister-cleaning chamber; releasing a volume of water from a water source into the reservoir chamber and creating a drainage opening in the suction canister thereby draining the waste out of the suction canister into the reservoir chamber.
Another embodiment of the method of the present invention includes placing a suction canister into a canister-cleaning chamber through an opening; closing the opening to create a sealed canister-cleaning chamber; channeling water from a water source to the reservoir chamber; and opening a drainage on the suction canister by pivoting downward on a hand bar to break a release port disposed on the suction canister thereby permitting the body fluids to drain out of the suction canister into the reservoir chamber.
Lastly, the present invention relates to a cabinet for housing a waste treatment system for suction canisters comprising a reload door providing access to a disinfectant source with plumbing connected from a source of water to said water treatment system. A sliding door will provide access to a canister-cleaning chamber for loading and unloading the suction canister and a drain is provided to dispose of water from the water treatment system. This cabinet is controlled by a control panel which has a power switch, a first indicator light, a second indicator light and an operating switch.